The best animation books

Best overall animation book

+ Experienced writer 
+ Historical context
- Focus on classic animation

Still the best animation book out there, The Animator’s Survival Kit is ideal for anybody who wants to learn more about animation. Richard Williams was a real animation expert, winning three Oscars for his work, so this book is a chance to learn from the best. 

Best for characters

+ Goes in-depth
+ Covers humans and animals
- Slightly outdated

This might have originally been published in 1994, but Preston Blair’s Cartoon Animation is still an invaluable resource to refer back to. Blair worked in the Golden Age of Animation, from the 1930s to the 1970s, and his experience shines through to help you bring your characters to life.

Best for easy reading

+ Great author experience
+ Wide range of techniques
- Not as in-depth

Eric Goldberg has worked on some of the biggest animated films of the last few decades, and he uses his experience to great effect in Character Animation Crash Course. He looks at how you can give your characters real personality in an easy-to-read guide. 

Best for Disney

+ Easy to read
+ Gives historical context
- Slightly outdated

Written by two of Disney’s 'Nine Old Men', The Illusion of Life provides an invaluable inside look at Disney animation, making this ideal for anyone wanting to learn more about the classic style. First published in 1981, it might seem slightly outdated, but the advice given is timeless. 

Best for timing

+ Advice for traditional and digital
+ Simple yet technical
- Lack of general info

Updated for its 40th anniversary to include more content including advice on timing for digital animation, Timing for Animation is a book that any budding animator should read. From storyboarding to timing an animal’s movements, this book contains all you need to know about timing.

Best book to dip into

+ Comprehensive collection
+ Great sketches
- Not a ‘how-to’ guide

Drawn to Life is a collection of Disney animator Walt Stanchfield’s lectures spanning hundreds of pages. It’s not a straightforward 'how-to' or self-help book, but Stanchfield’s lectures are sure to improve anyone’s animation skills – and the book is carefully structured so it’s easy to find what you’re looking for. 

Best for beginners

+ Step-by-step exercises
+ Easy to follow
- Not as in-depth

The Master Guide to Drawing Anime contains plenty for beginners, outlining how to draw the six main character types with easy-to-follow templates. However, it’s not as in-depth as other anime books, making it more suited to people new to anime, or those who want to go back to basics. 

Best value anime book

+ Plenty of instruction
+ Good for beginners
- Not as in-depth

This book helps beginners build their own characters, starting with the face before moving on to the body and clothing. It then takes a look at some classic characters, as well as some of more unique characters you can have fun drawing. While best suited to beginners, it’s a useful resource if you’d simply like to brush up on your skills. 

Best advanced anime book 

+ Advice from 100 artists
+ Digital drawing tips
- Not for beginners

With 200 lessons from 100 artists, this book contains a wealth of information from some of the best in anime. From digital illustration to forming the faces and bodies of your characters, everything you need to know is included here. While we like the sheer quantity of tips, this isn’t a step-by-step beginner’s guide. 

Best anime book for drawing faces

+ Easy-to-follow guide to drawing faces
- Focuses on faces only
- Only covers the basics

We like this book for beginners who want more experience in drawing faces and facial features, as it covers all the basics you need to know. However, it might not tell more experienced artists a lot they don’t already know, and it only looks at faces so it’s best if they’re something you’d like to brush up on.

Best anime book for children

+ Good for beginners
+ Focus on eyes
- Some characters not really in anime style

This is an easy-to-follow book that’s ideal for younger artists and beginners, and shows you how to draw faces – particularly the eyes – and bodies of anime characters. However, some of the characters in the book look as if they’re drawn in a Western style, so this might not be the right book for everybody.

Best for Chibi style

+ Comprehensive introduction to Chibi
+ Shows how to draw popular Chibi characters
- Other forms of anime not focused on

This book focuses on the Chibi style of anime, an exaggerated style where characters have big heads and smaller bodies and limbs, so it’s ideal for anybody who’d like to find out more about this style. We like that it teaches you how to draw popular characters so you can dive right in.

Best overall manga book

+ Both basic and advanced advice
+ Blank pages for practice
- No step-by-step instructions

This book bridges the gap between manga books for beginners and those for more advanced artists with a range of helpful tips from how to draw a face to how to create unique costumes. There aren’t any step-by-step instructions, but we like the blank pages and tracing paper that’s included to help you hone your skills.

Best value manga book

+ Easy-to-follow instructions
+ Comprehensive coverage
- Not as in-depth

How to Draw Manga provides an exciting introduction to manga at a reasonable price point, and you’ll learn everything from drawing eyes and mouths to backgrounds and even angels and witches. It covers a lot of areas, though it’s not as in-depth as some manga books out there, making it ideal for those new to the style. 

Best manga book for beginners

+ Step-by-step instructions
+ Guidance on lighting and shading
- Not very in-depth

We like the step-by-step guides in this Manga for the Beginner book, which has easy instructions on how to draw everything from faces to items of clothing. Christopher Hart will also teach you how to draw dynamic poses, and he takes a look at lighting and shading too – not many manga books explore these areas so this is worth picking up if you want to delve into them. 

Best manga book for drawing faces

+ Over 900 faces to draw
+ Positive and negative expressions
- Won't benefit advanced artists

If you’re new to faces or want to learn more, this book of 900 faces could be beneficial. With both positive and negative expressions and everybody from babies to elderly people here, we like the sheer variety. However, it’s a book that’s probably better suited to beginners – it could be slightly more detailed. 

Best book to learn more about manga

+ Techniques from around the world
+ Traditional and digital tips
- Lack of technical detail

This book might be aimed at beginners, but it contains plenty of information about how to create manga with insights from artists around the world and tips for drawing almost anything you could want. However, it doesn’t contain as much technical detail as some books, so while more experienced artists would find it useful they may want to look elsewhere too. 

Best book for creating manga scenes

+ Step-by-step demonstrations 
+ 130 lessons
+ Character invention game
- Not as in-depth

This book is ideal if you’d like to learn how to make manga scenes, with plenty of lessons and demonstrations – and there’s even a character invention game if you’re stuck for ideas. However, it’s a book that’s better suited to beginners, as it might not teach experienced manga artists a lot they don’t know already.